[Propertalk] Fw: Sermon Resources for May 16 - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

Fw: Sermon Resources for May 16 - Part 2

A Prayer for the Future

If we assume that Jesus did envision some kind of future for his followers and if he really did have hope that the Father would glorify him despite the dark events soon to descend upon him, then it makes sense that Jesus would pray for the future wellbeing of his disciples and any latter-day people who became associated with them on account of the witness of those same disciples. In this sense, Jesus in the upper room on that particular night was not unlike a father praying to God for the future safety and flourishing of his own children and grandchildren. Far from an unlikely thing to do, it's actually a very natural thing for a person of love to do regarding those whom he held dear. What parent, upon first laying eyes on a newborn child, does not immediately feel welling up within him or her far-reaching desires for this child to grow and be well and to flourish far into the future, including into the years beyond the life of the parent?
 
Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
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Humor: Church Unity

The wrong way to achieve unity in the church is to try and appeal to everyone. The church humor magazine "The Door" facetiously announced these newly formed churches seeking to do just that:

Potluck Assembly
Little Bit O'Bible Church
Church of the Big P.A.
The Short-Term Pastor Center
Theology-Free Church
The Inaccurate Heart of Mary Catholic Church
Seldom United Church
Bill Gates' Memorial Geek Orthodox
New Wife Fellowship
Church of the Perpetual Building Program
Comfortable Pew Family Center
Clean Bathroom Bible Temple
Better Than the Rest Believer's Fellowship
Legalist Bondage Assembly
The Church Where the Pastor's Family Runs Everything
The Two-Or-More-But-Sometimes-Less-Depending-On-Who-Shows-Up Bible Church
Feelgood Fellowship
Twist-and-Shout Revival Center

John Green, "Newly Formed Churches," The Door, March-April 2000, p. 15.

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Reaping a Whirlwind

We have sown a wind of secularism, modernism, and shifting moral values. As a direct result, we are now reaping a whirlwind of immorality, sexually transmitted disease, corruption, and violent crime. The only hope that exists for our individual, national, spiritual and institutional recovery is to return to the spiritual values that originally formed the foundation of North American national life--the teaching of Jesus Christ, as found in the Word of God.

Grant R. Jeffrey, Jesus - The Great Debate, p. 267. 

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The Universality of the Golden Rule

 
Despairing of the possibility of ever bringing about religious unity through doctrinal, philosophical or theological dialogue, a great many people have latched onto the Golden Rule as the ultimate expression of their faith. It is provocative and inspiring to discover the remarkable universality of this ethical principle. In Hinduism it is stated like this: "Those gifted with intelligence should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated." The Shinto version is: "The suffering of others is my suffering; the good of others is my good." In Buddhism it is: "A person can minister to friends and familiars by ... treating them as he treats himself." Taoists say: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and regard your neighbor's loss as your own loss." In Islam: "None of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." For Sikhs it is: "As thou deem est thyself so deem others. Then shalt thou become a partner in heaven." In Confucianism and Zoroastrianism the rule is stated in the same way as in the New Testament except that it is couched in negative terms: "Do not unto others what you would not they should do unto you." The Jewish equivalent in Leviticus 19:18 is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Carl L. Jech, Channeling Grace, CSS Publishing Company

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Humor: Are You a Believer?

Max Lucado, tells the following story with wit and style,

Some time ago I came upon a fellow on a trip who was carrying a Bible.
"Are you a believer?" I asked him.
"Yes," he said excitedly.
I've learned you can't be too careful.
"Virgin birth?" I asked.
"I accept it."
"Deity of Jesus?"
"No doubt."
"Death of Christ on the cross?"
"He died for all people."
Could it be that I was face to face with a Christian? Perhaps. Nonetheless, I continued my checklist.
"Status of man."
"Sinner in need of grace."
"Definition of grace."
"God doing for man what man can't do."
"Return of Christ?"
"Imminent."
"Bible?"
"Inspired."
"The Church?"
"The Body of Christ."
I started getting excited. "Conservative or liberal?"
He was getting interested too. "Conservative."
My heart began to beat faster.

The conclusion to this illustration and for many additional illustrations and sermons for the Easter 7 can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.
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